FF7 Remake: How Barret Changed From The Original

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With the first chapter of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series Square Enix made it clear the story will go in a different direction from the PlayStation original. The game also made changes to how some of its central characters are presented, and Barret Wallace may be the one that has benefited the most from this. The original localization of Final Fantasy 7 took liberties with Barret, giving him a cruder dialect than other characters that seemed like an unflattering caricature of a Black hero from older western media. In FF7 Remake, all of Barret’s gruffness and intensity remain, but the character is more nuanced. For those who played the original game, they now can see a version of Barret whose passion clearly stems from his traumatic backstory and his convictions, rather than simply occupying the role of an “angry Black man.” Barret exhibits more empathy and humor than he ever did before, and he has evolved from a riff on a Mr. T-style walking arsenal to one of the most complex and fascinating characters in FF7R.

Some supporting characters who lacked characterization in the original Final Fantasy 7 receive more development in FF7R, like Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge. These members of Barret’s anti-Shinra group were given distinct characteristics, but the group’s structure itself changed also. The revolutionary group Avalanche was led by Barret in the original Final Fantasy 7, while in the Remake, Barret leads only one cell of a larger group called Avalanche.  Barret’s group, dubbed the “Midgar cell,” employs extreme and dangerous methods to save the planet from Shinra, according to a loading screen in FF7 Remake. This provides a more realistic scope for the revolutionary group, with a cell structure that better reflects